NBA Daily: 2022-2023 Season Preview #29 – Boston Celtics
By Reylan Loberternos
PhilBoxing.com
Thu, 13 Oct 2022
In this limited 30-part series, we shall be discussing each team’s latest developments, current roster, and future prospects in the upcoming 2022-2023 NBA season. For every team, we will examine bit-by-bit the important aspects that may shape its progress and provide a rough projection of how it will fare vis-à-vis its previous year’s performance and versus the rest of the league.
BOSTON CELTICS
2021-2022 Season Win-Loss Record:
51-31
Depth Chart:
PG – Marcus Smart, Payton Pritchard
SG – Derrick White, Malcolm Brogdon, JD Davison
SF – Jaylen Brown, Sam Hauser, Grant Williams
PF – Jayson Tatum, Luke Kornet, Blake Griffin
CE – Al Horford, Robert Williams III, Mfiondu Kabengele
Injury Updates:
Robert Williams III underwent a successful arthroscopic surgery on his troublesome left knee late last month, which is expected to keep him sidelined for about 8-to-12 weeks.
Head Coach:
Joe Mazulla
Headliners:
The Boston Celtics had a magnificent run during the 2021-2022 NBA Season, where they went just two wins shy of the championship. They had a rookie coach then. They’ll have another one for the second consecutive season.
This is, without question, Jayson Tatum’s team. His numbers have improved every season for the Celtics, which saw him norm 26.9 points, grab 8.0 boards, and dish out 4.4 dimes per contest last season. He has what it takes to finally bring this team to the promised land. Though his defensive chops are one of the many reasons why he is considered among the best players in the league, he may look to improve a little bit more on his scoring to get closer to the 30-point range. This will catapult him into an MVP-caliber player.
He can accomplish this by going more to the rack, while also reducing his propensity to just shoot from deep as well. These past two seasons, while his three-point attempts have gradually increased, his shooting accuracy from beyond the arc has also considerably dropped. While his increasing free-throw attempts and made season-by-season are welcome signs, he should take advantage of the special treatment and respect the league, through its referees, sets for its superstars, which he is undoubtedly already a part of.
For his part, Jaylen Brown is more of an equal rather than a side kick. However, his production may have already peaked. Last season, he averaged 23.6 markers, 6.1 rebounds, and 3.5 assists on a nightly basis, practically similar to his production a season prior.
Don’t get me wrong. These are great numbers and if there’s one thing that any team can count on from a player of Brown’s caliber, it is consistency. You can count on him to get you these numbers every single game, whether in the regular season or in the playoffs.
Marcus Smart is by far this team’s emotional leader and defensive anchor. The whole team feeds off of his energy and passion. Though his numbers may seem pedestrian at 12.1 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 5.9 assists per game, there are a lot of great things he does on the floor that don’t reflect on the stats sheet. He should, however, continue to improve more on the playmaking department. He must ease the burden off the Celtics two stars in Tatum and Brown by effectively and more efficiently facilitating the offense.
This was what Derrick White brought to the table when the Celtics acquired him mid-season. He is somewhat like Smart’s alter-ego. He does all the things Smart does on both ends of the court, but with a lot more subtlety. Having White in the lineup provides the Celtics with a steady and consistent floor general throughout the ball game, even when Smart goes to the bench for a breather.
Boston is already set from 1 through 3, and probably a little bit at 4, when Tatum plays that position, as the team plays small ball. The main issue, however, is their rather thin front court. At 36 years old, Al Horford still played close to 30 minutes per game last season. While his short stint at OKC may have helped a lot in preserving his health and energy, when he only played a grand total of 28 games during the 2020-2021 season, he was heavily used this past year, starting for the Celtics in all 69 games, which were the most he’s played in a season as a Celtic.
Robert Williams III is a very capable starting center when healthy. While his games played has considerably improved every season, playing a career best 61 games during the last regular season and another 17 in the playoffs, his primary focus going into the season should be on strength and conditioning and getting back to playing shape, as he’s expected to miss the first few months, after undergoing an arthroscopic surgery on his left knee in late September. Staying healthy ought to be his mantra if he wants to help this team continue to contend and get over that final hump.
Even with the brouhaha surrounding their coaching situation, the Boston Celtics are still the team to beat in the East. They are a great defensive squad that have capable scorers from top to bottom. While their competitors have added assets here and there, the Celtics are mainly composed of high character individuals that play well together. Boston has chemistry, discipline, and consistency, which only quite a few teams around the league can claim to possess.
Comments are highly appreciated. You may send them to reylanloberternos@yahoo.com.ph and you may follow me @reylan_l on twitter.
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